Tails
by Iwannacookie1110
Summary: "Heads and Tails" are two joint stories that can be read together or separate. Although there will be certain details in one story that will explain things in the other. The whole point of these stories is to have the side of the protagonist and the side of the antagonist so you can decide which one to read or to side with. Please enjoy my stories!
1. Chapter 1

Shadowpaw hisses as the thrush slips from her grasp and flies into open sky. She tears at the ground with her razor sharp claws. She had been up since sun rise hunting and even after sun high she had only managed a scrawny little mouse. She growls slightly, flicking a piece of moss from her pelt. Despite her muscles aching from a horrid sleep she walked on, keeping her ears perked for prey.

She shakes her head, exhausted and wanting to sleep but knowing she needs to hunt. Keeping herself awake is a problem but the crisp, cool air helps quite a bit. She moves swiftly through the woods but suddenly stops. The strong scent of cat hits her and she wanders over to find a scent line.

"Volcanoclan." She mutters, looking over the invisible border. "The prey runs so much better across this line." She puts a paw across the line and hesitates again. "I'm a rogue. If they catch me Im screwed."

But a growl from her stomach tells her to disregard the caution and to think of the benefit. She springs across the line and shoots into a bush, ears perked for any sounds. A rustle sounds from in front of her causing her to tense but she peeks out of her hiding bush to see a rabbit in front of her.

"Perfect." Shadowpaw purrs, bunching her muscles under her and launching forwards. She lands on the rabbit and pins it down before swiftly killing it. "This will help me." She picks up the rabbit pridefully and turns to leave.

"Theif!" The sudden voice yowls behind her. "Prey stealer!"

She turns to see another cat charging at her. "Fox dung!" She swears, realizing she won't be able to get away with her prey.

She drops the rabbit and whirls around, running as fast as she can. She hears the cat chase but her speed aids her and the cat drops out of earshot as she clears the scent line. She dashes to the edge of twoleg territory and streaks up the last tree, crouching on a branch.

She pants and hisses to herself. "Thats what I get for taking a stupid risk! What was I thinking?"

But another growl of her stomach answers her question and she climbs down the tree, relieved she had at least caught that scrawny mouse. She hits the ground and scents the air, no scents anywhere.

"Im alone." She sighs, slightly sad and slightly relieved. The woods fall silent as she pads to where she remembers hiding the mouse. The silence crushes in on her, the crunching of leaves under her paws the only sound that echoes all around her.

"One other cat would be nice." She mutters. "Just one to live with me. So I could talk to someone." She looks up. "This is where I put it."

She flinches back in surprise, quickly realizing she forgot to scrape earth over the mouse. Feathers scatter around and the mouse had disappeared only leaving claw marks behind. She turns around in disappointment and hunger to see if she could find anything else.

"How stupid of me." She growls.

Ahead, she spots a squirrel but the crunching leaves had given her away and it darts high up a tree.

"Oh no you don't!" She yowls and pelts up the tree after it as easily as if it had a path leading up it.

"Come back here you foxheart!" She yowls after the rodent as it darts high into the tree and chatters at her angrily. Shadowpaw growls and keeps going up the tree after it. She swiped a paw, almost catching its tail but it jumps from the branch to another tree. Shadowpaw bunches her muscles under her and springs after it. Her claws scrabble on the opposite branch for a moment then they slip and she goes crashing down. She manages to catch herself a couple times to slow her speed before slamming into the ground. She pulls herself to her paws with a moan and glances at a gash in her shoulder.

"Shoot is that gonna leave a scar?" She mutters before running a tongue over it and finding it not nearly as deep as she had thought. "I'm cursed." She hisses. "Cursed to go hungry."

She sighs, only one option now. She sets off, sneaking into twoleg place and pressing herself against a fence when barking erupts from the other side. Shadowpaw hisses and takes off away from it. She finds a fence line and leaps up to walk along them and scents each yard. She finds one that holds no dog scent and she sits to observe for a moment. A cat dish sits outside the door filled with disgusting kittypet food.

"Come on Shadowpaw, have courage." She mutters to herself and jumps off the fence into the yard. " You have to eat, its been days."

She creeps through the yard, glancing at the tree and bushes nervously before ending up on the steps into the den. She sniffs at the food dish and restrains herself from backing up in disgust. She opens her jaw to take a bite when a hiss comes from behind her. A brown cat walks towards her threateningly from where he had previously blended into the tree. Shadowpaw considers it for a moment, knowing shes faster and stronger than the kittypet but also knowing that twoleg food wasn't worth losing fur over. She looks over the kittypet and sees he's a strong looking tom with a bark colored pelt and glaring amber eyes.

"Look I don't want to fight." Shadowpaw says.

"Then yall just better get!" He calls back.

She sighs with a dip of her head. "I apologize." She leaps onto and over the fence and onto the ground beyond. Hearing the kittypet behind her sneer she hisses, convincing herself not to turn and fight. Her stomach growls and the threat of starvation looms.

"No Ill be fine." She meows and slips into the woods. She paces over to a hole in the ground. The ground and hole reek of badger but she takes no notice as she slips in, curling up to sleep.

"Shadowpaw!" Someone calls from the opening. She stands, rigged and scared until a familiar scent hits her. "Shadowpaw!" The smell calls again. Shadowpaw creeps to the entrance then out, glancing over the yellow she.

"Morning mom." Shadowpaw mews.


	2. Chapter 2

"Good morning Shadowpaw." Her mother mews back happily. "Its been a while how are you?"

"Im fine." She purrs, flicking her tail. "Ive missed you.

"Oh I've missed you too my kit." She mews, suddenly rubbing her cheek on Shadowpaws.

"Why don't you visit that much anymore?" Shadowpaw mews curiously.

Purplelillys tail drops and she sighs in annoyance. "You know why." She says. "I have a duty to my clan."

Anger flashes through Shadowpaw. _So her clan means more than me. _She thinks but she simply responds. "I know."

"Im sorry hon." Purplelilly mews, attempting to make her feel better.

Shadowpaw strikes the leaves behind her with her tail in anger.

"But thats why I'm here." the yellow she mews.

"Your clan?" Shadowpaw hisses.

"Kinda, there was a warrior ceremony today." Purplelilly mews. Shadowpaw flattens her ears slightly in boredom and anger. "Well we can't keep calling you Shadowpaw. Thats an apprentice name and you're as strong as any warrior."

"Am I?" Shadowpaw asks, ears pricked in curiosity and confusion.

"Probably stronger." Purplelilly mews, looking over her kit. "I mean look at you." Her eyes land on Shadowpaws shoulder which was still crusted with blood from her fall. "What happened!" She gasps dramatically.

Shadowpaw had forgotten about her shoulder so she flicks the thought away. "I fell from a tree while chasing a squirrel ."

Her mothers eyes run over her in panic and Shadowpaw curses herself for being so reckless.

"Its no big deal." Shadowpaw purrs, seeing her mothers panic. "Im fine really."

"Did you at least get to eat?" She asks.

"Of course!" The black she lies.

"Alright, thats good." Purplelilly mews. "Well then, about that warrior name."

Purplelilly stands up so Shadowpaw figures she should do the same. "Shadowpaw, do you promise to uphold your moral code and protect and defend your life at all costs?" The yellow she purrs to her daughter.

"Y-yeah." She mutters, not sure what she was agreeing to.

"Then by the powers of Starclan I give you your warrior name. Shadowpaw, from this moment you will be known as Shadowwing. Starclan honors your determination and your independence."

She stutters in confusion but forces a smile. "So Im called Shadowwing now?"

"Yes," Purplelilly mews, "that is your new warrior name."

Shadowwing was taken aback and slightly mad, she had liked 'Shadowpaw'. "Can I rest now, this has been an exciting day." She asks, desperate to get away and think.

"Oh no. You must stay awake and silent through the night."

"What!" She yelps in disbelief.

"I know hon. Its strange to you but this is how its done in the clans."

"Does that mean I'll be able to join the clan with you soon?"

Hope flares in her heart, joining the clan was a wonderful thought. She would be safe and feed plus have other cats to talk to. She wanted to be with other cats. Plus she would be with her mother.

"Soon." Purplelilly promises.

Shadowwings ears perk up and she smiles silently before getting up and going to sit by the badger den. Silent as she can.

Purplelilly smiles at her. "Ill come and be sure you get some rest tomorrow morning."

Purplelilly walks off and Shadowwing dips her head and swats at a poppy in annoyance.

"Yeah right I'm going to be silent!" She hisses. "I'll be finding food!"

She stands up and trots off to search, ears pricked. She didnt search far when the scent of rot hits her.

She creeps forwards to find a group of crow picking at what looks like a rotting squirrel.

"Crows are food." She mutters. She creeps forwards slowly, pouncing suddenly and landing on a crow. The others scatter and she pushes off the first crow, breaking its neck, and shoots into the air. She catches the wing of another in her jaw and swiftly kills it. She then picks up the two crows and heads back to her den, tossing them in and about to follow when she hears hissing a ways off. She heads after the sound to find a brown and grey tom stalking a thrush. Shadowwing watches with interest as he prepares to jump when his body is racked with coughing. The thrush flutters off and he hisses after it.

"Bad luck." Shadowwing calls to him.

The tom reals back and hisses at her.

"Back! Back! I will hurt you!"

"Relax, I don't want to start a fight. You look hungry, and sick, you ok?"

"Yes Im hungry, thats obvious. Yes im sick, thats also obvious."

"Want some prey? I got extra on my latest hunt."

He pauses and looks her over. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Well, thank you."

She purrs, running her tail over his shoulder and leading him back to her den. When they get there she brings him down into the hole and pushes one of the crows to him. He blinks at her gratefully as they settle down and tear into the meat.

"So whatcha sick with?" She asks.

"The clan cats around here call it white cough."

"And?"

"Its very deadly, especially if you don't get food and rest."

"Well then, you'll have to stay here."

He looks up in shock. "What, really?"

"I'm not gonna throw a sick cat out on his rear end."

"Thank you. Really thank you" He finishes with a bout of coughing. "But white cough, its easily spread."

"So?"

"So, what if you get it?"

"Dont think thats gonna stop me from helping you."

"Really? Thank you so mu-" Hes cut off by coughing once again.

"No problem, really. What are you called?"

"Cain. At least, thats what my house folk called me before they abandoned me. So call me Cain. You?"

"My name's Shadowwing."

"Shadowwing? Were you one of those clan cats before this or something?"

"No. My mother's a clan cat."

"Really? And you still know her?"

"Of course? Why do you say that?"

"Well, clan cats don't really care about those outside the clans."

"Well my mom's different!"

He seems to flinch back slightly, causing her to realize how sharp she had sounded.

"Sorry." She purrs. "I just need some rest, you should get some to."

He nods with a soft smile and lays his head down. She puts her head onto her paws and lets Cain's breathing lull her to sleep.


End file.
